Tudor insists Palace clash is not a 'must-win' for Tottenham

Igor Tudor shrugged off the idea that Tottenham's clash with Crystal Palace is a "must-win" game despite them being dragged into the relegation battle.

Spurs are 16th in the Premier League, just four points above 18th-place West Ham, though that gap could be cut to one if Nuno Espirito Santo's side beat Fulham on Wednesday.

Tudor has lost both games in charge since taking over from Thomas Frank, with Spurs going down to Arsenal and Fulham.

In fact, Spurs remain the only side yet to win a Premier League game in 2026 (D4 L6).

"No, there is no must-win game," he said when asked if there was pressure on him and the players to get three points.

"We need to be approaching all of the games in the right way and doing the best that we can do. I've always said that thinking like that doesn't bring you anything.

"We need to prepare by thinking about us. It's about understanding who we are as a team, what the players need and what the players can give, in order to be better as a team. If we prepare in this way, it [the outcome] will be good.

"These [must-wins] are all the things that don't matter. They are nice things to speak about on the TV or in a bar, but we aren't interested in thinking in this way."

Palace, meanwhile, are two places above Spurs and six points better off than Thursday's opponents despite their stuttering recent form.

They have won two of their last 13 top-flight matches (D3 L8), but come into this game on the back of a 2-1 loss to Manchester United last time out, with Maxence Lacroix sent off.

He is just one of Oliver Glasner's absentees, with Jean-Philippe Mateta still out with a knee injury, and though he will not be back for this match, he is apparently close to a comeback.

"He's chipper. Always funny, always joking with his mates. Working hard, working very, very hard in rehab. Always in the gym, on the bike and on the treadmill," Glasner said of Mateta.

"I think he's also looking forward to feeling the ball and smelling the grass, and having fun with his team-mates on the pitch.

"He now has only four or five days to wait, and then he will be hopefully back."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – Conor Gallagher

Gallagher has scored more Premier League goals against Palace than any other opponent (four).

He also scored eight goals in 34 league appearances on loan at the Eagles in 2021-22, with only Wilfried Zaha netting more for them that term (14).

Crystal Palace – Jaydee Canvot

Lacroix scored and was sent off against Manchester United last time out, leaving Glasner with another selection headache at centre-back.

Against the Red Devils, Canvot made a game-high 10 clearances, as well as winning three of his four aerial duels and boasting the highest passing accuracy (87.8%) among Palace players.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham have won 16 of their last 21 Premier League matches against Palace (D2 L3), although they have lost two of their last three against the Eagles.

After nine consecutive away league defeats at Spurs between 2015-16 and 2023-24, Palace won this exact fixture 2-0 last season. The good news for Tottenham, however, is that the Eagles have never won consecutive away league games against them.

Spurs have lost six of their last seven home league London derbies (W1), including four of their five this season. Indeed, those four defeats are already their most home London derby losses in a single league campaign.

Palace, meanwhile, have lost just one of their last nine away London derby matches in the Premier League (W5 D3), going down 1-0 at Arsenal in October.

Tottenham have won just one of their last 13 home games in the Premier League (D4 L8), beating Brentford 2-0 in December. In their league history, it is only the second time that Spurs have had just one win over a run of 13+ home games, after the 1993-94 season, when they won just one of their final 16.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 45.8%

Draw – 26.7%

Crystal Palace – 27.5%